The moment you realise you might be in trouble with the law is one of the heaviest feelings in the world. It starts as a cold weight in the stomach and quickly turns into a scramble for answers. Whether it is a traffic matter that spiralled out of control or a serious allegation that could change the trajectory of your entire life. the system feels massive. The courts feel cold. You feel small.

When you are standing on the edge of that precipice. you do not need a friend to tell you it will be okay. You need a shield. You need someone who knows the corridors of the Perth courts better than they know their own living room.

I have spent a fair bit of time watching the legal landscape in Western Australia. It is a tight community. Everyone knows everyone. Reputation is the only currency that matters. If a lawyer messes up a case or treats a client poorly. the whole terrace knows about it by lunch.

That is why picking the right representation is the single most critical decision you will make. It is not about finding a lawyer. It is about finding the right firm. A lone wolf can be good. but a firm brings resources. They bring backup. They bring a war chest.

This is my personal take on the best defence firms in WA right now. This is not legal advice. It is a ranking based on what I have seen. what I have heard. and who I would call if the police came knocking on my door tonight.

The Ranking Criteria

I did not pull these names out of a hat. To make this list. a firm had to tick a few very specific boxes. I wanted to look past the flashy billboards and get to the substance of who actually delivers results when the pressure is on.

First. I looked for specialisation. The law is too complex these days for a generalist. If a firm says they do family law. wills. conveyancing. and criminal defence. I am not interested. I want the people who live and breathe the criminal code. The ones who spend every day in the Magistrates or District Court.

Reputation was the next big factor. I looked at industry recognition. specifically mentions in Doyle’s Guide. which is the peer-reviewed benchmark for the legal industry. But I also looked at word on the street. What are former clients saying? Are they happy with the result? Did they feel heard?

Finally. I looked at their business model. This might sound boring. but it dictates how much you pay and how your case is handled. Some firms charge you for a solicitor and then charge you extra for a barrister. Others handle it all in-house. That difference can save you thousands of dollars and a lot of headaches.

The Top 5 Defence Firms (Ranked)

#1. Podmore Legal (My Top Choice)

This is. without a doubt. the firm I would put at the top of my list. Podmore Legal has carved out a position in the Perth market that is honestly quite hard to beat. If you are facing something serious. this is where you want to be.

The main reason they take the number one spot is the unique way they operate. Most law firms in Western Australia operate on a split model. You have a solicitor who does the paperwork. and then they hire a separate barrister to stand up and talk in court. That means you are effectively paying two different people to learn your case.

Justin Podmore runs things differently. He is a Barrister and Solicitor. He spent years at the Victorian Bar before setting up shop in Perth. This means the person you sit down with in the office to plan your strategy is often the same person who will be standing up in the Supreme Court fighting for you.

This “seamless representation” is a massive advantage. Nothing gets lost in translation. You do not have that awkward moment where the barrister asks a question the solicitor should have already answered. It cuts out the middleman.

Podmore Legal has a reputation for handling the heavy stuff. I am talking about long-running drug trials. serious violent offences. and complex fraud. They are not the firm you go to if you want someone to hold your hand and tell you fairytales. They are the firm you go to when you need someone to dismantle the prosecution’s case brick by brick. They are strategic. they are aggressive when they need to be. and they seem to really care about winning.

#2. Kate King Legal

Coming in at a very strong second is Kate King Legal. You cannot walk around the Perth legal district without seeing their name or hearing about their work. They have been around since 2010. and in that time. they have built a fortress of a reputation.

I call them the “Compassionate Strategists” because they seem to have mastered the balance between being tough in court and human in the office. The legal process is traumatic. There is no other word for it. It ruins sleep. It ruins relationships. Kate King and her team seem to understand that better than most.

They are particularly strong when it comes to white-collar crime and traffic matters. but they handle everything up to homicide. One thing that stands out about this firm is their focus on reputation management. In the age of social media. getting charged is sometimes enough to ruin a career. even if you are eventually found not guilty. Kate King Legal seems to work very hard to keep things discreet and manage the fallout for their clients.

They are a very polished outfit. If you are a professional. a business owner. or someone with a public profile. this is a safe pair of hands. They are Doyle’s Guide regulars and for good reason. They are consistent. professional. and they get results without making a mess.

#3. Fisher Legal

Fisher Legal is the firm you go to when you want experience that dates back longer than some other lawyers have been alive. They have been operating for over 30 years. That is a lifetime in criminal law.

The thing I respect most about Fisher Legal is their philosophy. They are defenders. Pure and simple. Some firms will prosecute cases for the state one day and then defend a client the next. Fisher Legal dedicates themselves exclusively to defence.

This creates a specific mindset. It means they are always looking for the cracks in the police case. They are always questioning authority. They are never on the “other side.”

Justine Fisher and her team have what I call “institutional memory.” When you have been in the game for three decades. you know the judges. You know how specific magistrates like to have information presented. You know which prosecutors are likely to cut a deal and which ones will dig their heels in.

That kind of knowledge is not something you can learn in law school. You earn it by standing in the dock for thirty years. If you have a complex case that requires a deep understanding of historical laws or a very specific technical argument. these are the veterans you want in your corner.

#4. Andrew Williams Criminal Lawyer

If the big firms feel a bit too much like a factory to you. Andrew Williams is the antidote. Based in Subiaco rather than the CBD. this firm offers a much more personal touch.

The legal industry has a bit of a dirty secret. often you pay for a partner’s time. but the actual work is done by a junior graduate who has been practising for six months. With Andrew Williams. the appeal is that there is no delegation. If you hire Andrew. you get Andrew.

He is a former Associate to a Supreme Court Judge. which gives him a very interesting perspective. He knows how judges think because he used to help write their judgments. That insight is gold when you are trying to frame an argument to get a charges dropped or reduced.

I have placed him at number four. but for some people. he would be number one. He is particularly good at technical defences. For example. “attempts” to commit crimes. If you have been charged with attempting to do something. the law gets very murky. Andrew Williams is the sort of lawyer who enjoys wading into that murk and finding a way out.

He is a solid choice if you want accountability. You know exactly who is handling your file. and you know exactly who to call if you are worried.

#5. Kingdom Legal

Legal fees can be terrifying. It is not uncommon for people to spend their life savings trying to stay out of jail. That is where Kingdom Legal shines. and why they deserve a spot in the top five.

They have positioned themselves as the accessible option. They are very big on fixed fees. In an industry that loves the “billable hour” (where you get charged for every six-minute phone call). a fixed fee is a breath of fresh air. It means you know exactly what it is going to cost before you start.

But do not think that because they are affordable. they are cheap. Cathryn Ng and her team have been recognised in Doyle’s Guide as well. They punch above their weight.

Another massive asset for Kingdom Legal is that they are multilingual. Western Australia is a melting pot. If English is your second language. the legal system is twice as scary. Being able to speak to your lawyer in Mandarin or Cantonese changes everything. It ensures you actually understand what is happening to you.

They are the practical choice. If you have a straightforward matter. or even a complex one. but you have a strict budget. Kingdom Legal provides a way to get high-quality defence without needing to mortgage the house.

Critical Comparison: The “Briefing” Model vs. The “In-House” Model

I touched on this with Podmore Legal. but it is worth explaining in more detail because it really matters.

In the traditional Western Australian legal system. the profession is split. You have Solicitors and you have Barristers.

The Solicitor is the person you hire. They run the office. They answer your emails. They organise the paperwork. But when it comes time for the trial. they usually hand the file over to a Barrister. The Barrister is a specialist advocate who is self-employed. They wear the wig and gown.

Here is the problem with that model. You are paying two sets of fees. You are paying the solicitor to brief the barrister. and then you are paying the barrister to read what the solicitor wrote.

Worse. things get lost. The solicitor might know that your Aunt Mary is a crucial character witness. but if they forget to emphasize that to the barrister. it might never come up in court.

The “In-House” model. or the “Barrister & Solicitor” model that firms like Podmore use. fuses these roles. The person preparing the evidence is the person presenting it. They know every single page of the file because they built the file.

It creates a more agile defence. If a witness says something unexpected in the witness box. the lawyer knows immediately how it contradicts a statement made three months ago. because they were the one who took that statement.

For my money. the fusion model is the future. It is more efficient. it is often cheaper. and it generally leads to a more cohesive strategy.

What to Ask Before You Hire

Before you sign on the dotted line with any of these firms. you need to ask the tough questions. Do not be shy. You are hiring them. they work for you.

First. ask them “Who will be appearing for me?” You do not want to pay top dollar for a senior partner only to have a first-year graduate turn up to your hearing. Make sure you meet the person who will be doing the talking.

Second. ask about the money. “Do you do fixed fees or hourly rates?” If it is hourly. ask for an estimate of the total cost. If they refuse to give you a ballpark figure. walk away. The “how long is a piece of string” answer is not good enough when your savings are on the line.

Third. ask about their experience with your specific charge. “How many cases like mine have you handled this year?” If you are charged with a complex cyber-crime and the lawyer has spent the last six months doing drink driving pleas. they are not the right fit.

Finding Your Own Counsel

At the end of the day. the “best” lawyer is the one you trust. You need to be able to look them in the eye and believe that they have your back.

Take this list as a starting point. Google them. Read their reviews. Call them up and see how they treat you on the phone. Do they sound impatient? Do they sound desperate for your money? Or do they sound calm. professional. and in control?

If you are in trouble. do not wait. Evidence disappears. Memories fade. The sooner you get a legal team involved. the better your chances are.

Trust your gut. If a lawyer promises you a guaranteed win. run. No one can guarantee a win in court. You want the lawyer who promises to work hard. not the one who promises miracles.

Good luck. You will get through this.